Paint applicator



y 1954 H. ROELL, JR., ET AL 2,678,002

PAINT APPLICATOR Filed May 28, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l OUUHHODD CIDG DOG

u On "DUDUDODCIUDUDGOUI! INVENTORS Hermann Rae Jr. y Werner 6 0,

y 11, 1954 H. ROELL, JR., ET AL PAINT APPLIcAToR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 28, 1951 INVENTOILS Hermann Aoe i BY We r-ner- Foe Patented May 11, 1954 PAINT APPLICATOR Hermann-Roell, Jr., and Werner Roell, Sioux City, Iowa Application May 28, 1951, Serial No. 228,708

2 Claims. (Cl. 101330) Our invention relates to a paint applicator.

An object of our invention is to provide a device for applying paint onto walls and ceilings and the like, which paint can be applied in a smooth and uniform manner without the use of paint brushes, in that the device incorporates the use of a roller for rolling the paint directly on the surface.

A further object of our invention is to provide a container or reservoir with means mounted in the reservoir for feeding the paint onto the applying roll, such reservoir providing means wherein the paint supply is always ready for application.

A further object of our invention is to provide a device which can be manipulated from a lower elevation so that the paint can be applied to higher ceiling or wall portions.

A further object of our invention is to provide an arrangement wherein ornamental designs can be applied with the same device merely by inserting a design roll.

A further object of our invention is to provide a further auxiliary attachment wherein substantially long ornamental figures can be applied to a surface.

With these and other objects in view, our invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of our device, whereby the objects contemplated are attamed, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in our claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation taken in section substantially along the lines l-l of Figure 3,

Figure 2 is a detail of the lengthened pole for supporting the device when applying the paint to higher surfaces,

Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a detail of the design-applying roll,

Figure 5 is a detail,

Figure 6 is a detail,

Figure '7 is a modification showing a partial section taken along the lines of Figure 3,

Figure 8 is a plan view of Figure '7,

Figure 9 is a sectional detail taken along the lines 9-9 of Figure 7,

Figure 10 is a sectional detail taken along the lines lillc of Figure '7,

Figure 11 is a section taken substantially along the lines H-ll of Figure 8, and

Figure 12 is a further detail of the guard memher taken in section along the lines l2-l2 of Figure 3.

Our invention relates to a device for directly applying paint onto any desired surface by the use of a comparatively soft roller, with attendant means for providing the paint supply closely adjacent to the applying roller, and with means for transferring the paint directly to the roller from a lower level in a suitable container in which the roller is mounted.

We have used the character Ill to designate the side walls of a suitable hollow container having a forward wall I I, a rear wall [2 and a bottom wall i3. Communicating through the wall I2 is the funnel member [4 whereby the container can be filled with paint, and extending inwardly from the wall 12 are the side wall portions I5 merging with a further wall portion 16. Extending through the side wall portions l5 are the pins H which are attached to the transverse member it which member Hi joins the handle I9.

Pivoted to the handle member H5 at 29 is the hook member 2| having the tightly fitting slot at 22 for engaging the pin 23 which is positioned between the ears 24, which ears are attached to the wall l2.

The handle member l9 includes the threads at 25, which threads are adapted to engage the further threads 26 of a relatively long rod or pole 21 having the handle 28, when it is desired to use the device at a high elevation.

Attached to the side walls 10 are a pair of socket members 29 having the tapered upper portions at 38, the members 29 serving to receive the substantially vertical portions 3! of a pair of brackets 32 having the upwardly inclined further portions 33, with the portions 33 and 31 having the continuous open lengthened slot as therein.

Received in the slot 34 are the end pins 35, these pins being rigidly secured to the upper Wooden roller 36 and a lower roller 3i, these rollers being provided along their outer surfaces with the lengthwise and transverse grooves 38 to thereby provide the substantially square raised surfaces 39 throughout, as shown more clearly in Figure 5.

A further pair of pins 40 are secured to the wooden roller M, to which roller 4| is securely attached a heavy layer of cylindrical sponge rubber 42.

Also received on the pins' ltl are a pair of sector-shaped side members 43 to which are attached the transverse bars 44.

The device is operated in the following manner. The character 25 indicates a vertical wall which is to be painted. By moving the arrangement upwardly and downwardly along the vertical wall so that the sponge rubber surface 42 is in contact therewith, the paint will be applied directly to the wall in a band which is the length of the roller 42, due to the fact that the rollers 36 and 31 will transfer the paint 46 to each other and thence to the sponge rubber member 42. Also, since the surface of the member 42 will be pressed against the wall 45, the tendency will be for all of the three rollers to compress against each other so that the paint is readily transferred, and we have found that the provision of the raised portions 39 assists in the transferring action and also insures that the paint is applied uniformly since the grooves adjacently thereto also tend to adhere to a maximum quantity of paint by providing a greater adherent area, with the raised portions then transferring the paint to the adjacent roller in a smooth and uniform manner, and with the top roller 36 of course transferring the paint directly onto the sponge rubber roller.

The members 43 provide a guard so that in cases where the unit reaches the ceiling, it will prevent the paint on the roll from touching the ceiling, thereby protecting the ceiling, with the guard being maintained in position by means of a suitable pin 41 which is received within the bracket portion 33, which pin 4"! passes through the sector member 43. The upper position of the pin 41 will lock the guard as shown by the solid lines in Figure 1, and the pin can also be used as shown by the lower position thereof to lock the guard in a lowered position shown by the dotted lines in those cases where the roller would be rolled along a ceiling surface and it is then desired to protect it from striking against the wall, it being obvious that the arrangement can be used against either walls or ceilings.

For higher elevations, the thread 26 on the extended pole 2! is threadably engaged with the threads 25 in the handle [9, allowing the device to be used at a substantially higher elevation, and in such cases it may be desired to swing the mem ber 2| and slot 22 out of engagement with the pin 23, which will allow the handle to freely pivot on the pins ll, since the length of the pole will definitely require such a pivoting action during a lower positioning of the unit.

Also, it may be desired to use the pivotal action in some cases at a lower elevation wherein the member 2| also can be removed.

It will be noted that by the use of the sockets '29 and brackets 32 the entire roller arrangement can be removed for cleaning and the like, or replacements, the flared portions at 30 permitting convenient re-insertion.

Figure 4 shows a cylindrical roller 48 which can be substituted for the sponge rubber roller 42, this roller having a rubber surface upon which are carved suitable designs as indicated by the character 49, so that as the roller is moved along the surface, these raised designs will be applied along the surface, the bracket construction above described allowing convenient replacement of this roller, it being understood that any type of raised design can be used.

Figures 7 to 11 illustrate a modification wherein relatively long designs can be applied to the surface and so that an extremely large roller need not be used for applying such long designs. In this construction the character 50 designates an endless rubber member which is approximate- 1y similar to an endless belt, the member 50 including the raised design portions and 52, which portions are relatively long as shown, and extending from the member 50 is a V-shaped longitudinal portion 53 (see Figure 11) which is snugly received within a further V-shaped annular cavity 54 formed in the sponge rubber cylindrical members 55 which are secured to the wooden rollers 56 to which are attached the pins 51, these pins 51 being journalled within the end slots 58 which are provided in the flat members 59, which members 59 are positioned adjacently to the bracket portions 60 which are substantially similar to the bracket portions 33 with the exception that they are substantially longer. The members 60 also include the continuous lengthened slots 6| therein which are also provided in the substantially vertical portions 62, which portions 62 are received within the sockets 29 in the same manner as the portions 3|, so that this arrangement can be readily employed instead of the arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 6 inclusive, this arrangement also using the same rollers 36 and 31.

For tightly securing the endless member 50 we provide a pair of blocks 63 which are slidably positioned within the slots 6|, and threadably engaging the blocks 63 are the threaded screw members 64 having suitable threads to provide means wherein rotation of the screw members will cause the plates 59 to spread apart or to draw together, for either replacing the member 50 or removing the same, the rotation of the threaded members being accomplished by means of the knurled nuts 65 attached to the threaded members 64, with the nuts 65 being received within the cavities 66 extending from the slots 6|. The V-shaped member 53 maintains the belt in correct longitudinal position at all times, and it will be noted that as the surface at 61 (see Figure 7) is applied against the wall that the continuous design will be formed on the wall by means of the same type of paint transference as heretofore described.

It will now be noted that we have provided a device accomplishing the various objects mentioned in our invention, with further other advantages being readily apparent.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of our invention without departing from the real spirit and purpose of our invention, and it is our intention to cover by our claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

We claim as our invention:

1. A paint applicator comprising a paint containing reservoir, rollers journalled in said reservoir for transferring paint to each other, an applicator roller bearing against one of said rollers whereby paint will be transferred to said applicator roller, brackets for journalling said rollers, said brackets having continuous lengthened slots therein whereby all of said rollers will be snugly engaged upon pressure of said applicator roller against a surface to be painted, said rollers having a plurality of raised bosses thereon for providing a smooth transference of paint, said applicator roller including designs in bas-relief thereon, said reservoir including bracket sockets attached thereto for detachably receiving said brackets, an adjustable guard member positioned adjacently to said applicator roller for preventing contact of said roller against surfaces substantially at right angles to the surfaces to which the paint is applied.

2. A paint applicator comprising a paint containing reservoir, rollers journalled in said reservoir for transferring paint to each other, an applicator roller bearing against one of said rollers whereby paint will be transferred to said applicator roller, brackets for journalling said rollers, said brackets having continuous lengthened slots therein whereby all of said rollers will be snugly engaged upon pressure of said applicator roller against a surface to be painted, said rol1- ers having a plurality of raised bosses thereon for providing a smooth transference of paint, said applicator roller including designs in has-relief thereon, said reservoir including bracket sockets attached thereto for detachably receiving said brackets, an adjustable guard member positioned adjacently to said applicator roller for preventing contact of said roller against surfaces substantially at right angles to the surfaces to Which the paint is applied, a handle pivotally secured to said reservoir, means for fixedly securing said handle, a lengthened pole for attachment to said handle whereby said paint applicator can be used at a relatively high elevation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 240,773 Schmidt Apr. 26, 1881 1,631,624 Conti June 7, 1927 1,830,115 Vieck Nov. 3, 1931 2,187,585 Grigas Jan. 16, 1940 2,485,428 Bleier et a1. Oct. 18, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 812,655 Germany Sept. 3, 1951 280,015 Great Britain Nov. 10, 1927 469,762 Great Britain July 23, 1937 583,783 Great Britain Dec. 30, 1946 

